The topic I address today has emerged from a study that tries to explain the existence of menopause in three species of mammals among which we find human beings. And therefore, the existence of grandmothers in these three species: the human being, the pilot whales and the killer whales.
I am fascinated by ethology, as well as anthropology, because I am convinced that they are the key to reaching the essence of our behavior, the roots that make us be as we are and the best way to discover a truly natural method of parenting. One of the most fascinating and defining issues of the human being as a species is menopause, that is, females that stop reproducing with years of life ahead. And it is something we have in common with other animals: pilot whales and killer whales, with none more.
Human grandmothers and whale grandmothers. Isn't it curious that only, among all living beings, are we three who have grandmothers?
Human females can no longer reproduce many years before their death. As I said before, pilot whales and killer whales also have this curious pattern of reproductive life. Recently an interesting study has been published that tries to answer the reasons for this characteristic.
They point out that the whales are matrilocal, that is, that the children stay in their mother's original group, in contact with her for a lifetime, and the female who is already menopausal has a relationship with them and the children of her daughters. However, it is pointed out that humans possibly had a different pattern, the usual one in patriarchal and patrilocal societies, in which the female leaves to the male group. In this regard I must say that it is not really possible to affirm that this was the norm in the moments in which the human being evolved as such or when the females began to have menopause.
However, if there is something that they expose and that is true, menopause is related to social structures in which the old females are intensely related to the rest of the group, being emotionally linked to their members and collaborating in one way or another in the Survival of the young of the youngest.
In the case of the human grandmothers, maternal or paternal or both, depending on the type of society, they have an important role, they transmit ancestral knowledge to young women and above all, they help them in a practical way with children.
As it is considered demonstrated today, as much as these things can be demonstrated, human females develop menopause as one of the characteristics that will help the species to its survival. Women stop being able to reproduce before they are old, something that does not happen with other primates, for example. This means that they can help their daughters or daughters-in-law to take care of the children and prevents hypothetical children of the age of the grandchildren from competing with them for scarce resources.
Not only that, but also data have been discovered that indicate that early menopause is an advantage for the survival of children, since simply, they get less chance of their mother dying being very young, which undoubtedly It is related to higher infant mortality.
The grandmothers, wise women have also been one of the pillars of civilization, perhaps unrecognized and hidden, lost in the chronicles that speak of battles and conquests, but in our history as a species, daily care is much more valuable and defining. members of a group, knowledge of plants and rains, children's births, food and cooking, lullabies, legends and hugs.
This is very healthy, and very beautiful. However, we must consider that the role of grandmothers is that of support, caregivers for mothers and young children. The natural role of the grandmothers is not to interfere in the decisions of the parents or in the bond and the emotionality of a mother and her child.
This instinctive impulse to provide care, however, may be disturbed by other cultural factors, reminiscent of patriarchal society, which I will discuss in another subject as it seems to me increasingly significant and explains some of the usual problems among young mothers and women. grandmothers
For today, this curious fact, the existence of human grandmothers and whale grandmothers, about which I would love to hear your opinion.
